Odor causing materials originate from a variety of sources in the environment. Odor materials must be capable of travelling through the air to activate the olfactory senses. However the materials themselves may be solid, liquid or gaseous. Odorous materials can originate from both organic and inorganic sources; some examples of common odor causing materials in the environment are urine, feces, food waste and bilge water.
Prior art compositions for "odor control" rely heavily upon "odor-masking", rather than actually controlling or modifying the odor causing chemical. The compositions of this invention are designed to react chemically with the odor-causing agent at its source, thereby eliminating the cause of the odor rather than simply masking the effects of the odor. Typically odor masking utilizes strong, often over-bearing and even unpleasant perfumes or "masking agents". "Masking agents" are generally perfumes that simply, in a very temporary fashion, distract the olfactory sense from one unpleasant odor by means of a second, less offensive odor. When prior art compositions are used, the sense of smell is affected; with the present invention, the actual causes of odors are neutralized.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of reducing malodor comprising the step of: delivering at or near the source of said malodor an effective amount of lithium hypochlorite to chemically neutralize the source of said malodor.
Most odor causing materials generally contain similar or common types of odor causing molecules, such as, for example, skatoles, indoles, dimethyldisulfide, amines, and ammonia. Nature eliminates odors caused by these and other chemicals by slowly combining the materials that create odors with oxygen from the air. This process is called oxidation. The compositions of the present invention achieve the same results at a greatly increased rate of speed, within minutes or even seconds.
One application for the composition of this invention is in controlling odors in portable toilets and toilets used in the transportation industry, e.g. locomotives, passenger cars, airplanes, etc. There has been interest in these compounds for use by coroners, morgues, and funeral homes. This material may also be used to eliminate human scent which could be a boon during activities such as hunting. These compositions work especially well in neutralizing odors caused by sulfurous compounds and other nitrogen containing substances such as ammonia and skatoles, as well as hydrogen sulfide. It is seen that these compositions have a wide variety of industrial applications, as well as environmentally beneficial uses.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,893 discloses a solid deodorizing composition comprising a solid source of available halogen, a solid gas generating source and a solid polyolefin. The solid source of available halogen is preferably lithium hypochlorite, both anhydrous and monohydrate. The solid polyolefin can be in the form of finely divided powder, spherical particles of under microns size, or fiber. The solid polyolefin is stable to available hydrogen compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 34,065 discloses a disinfectant composition which is an aqueous solution containing hypochlorite ions and a tertiary aliphatic alcohol. The composition also contains a lemon fragrance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,025 discloses a disinfectant composition which is an aqueous solution containing hypochlorite ions, a tertiary aliphatic alcohol and a synthetic organic detergent. A fragrance can also be included in the composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,249 discloses a method of reducing malodor using a metal complex. The metal complex functions as an oxidation catalyst in the presence of oxygen to neutralize odor causing materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,882 discloses a method of combatting offensive odors comprising contacting the odorant with a solution containing a quaternary ammonium salt catalyst and a tetracyclic heterocycle containing four nitrogen atoms. The patent gives examples of removing odors from an environment by spraying an aqueous solution containing the quaternary compound and the heterocycle. One example refers to a truck, trailer or other cargo container in which spoiled food or seafood has left a lingering odor.
A safe, effective and easily manipulated composition is needed for contacting odoriferous materials.